The present invention relates to a catheter-type ultrasonic probe capable of searching in capillaries, that is, fine hollow tubes, such as blood vessels for use mainly in medical diagnosis and treatment, and to an ultrasonic equipment provided with the above described probe. This ultrasonic equipment can recognize through a three-dimensional image the state of the inner side of a blood vessel and the existence of atheroma, etc.
Conventionally, when blood vessels are diagnosed through ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic probe 101 is inserted in a blood vessel T as shown in FIG. 1 to have ultrasonic beams 103 generated by a piezoelectric transducer 102 rotatively scan each part of an object by mechanically revolving the piezoelectric transducer 102 in the direction indicated by the arrow B. The transducer is provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe 101 and generates ultrasonic beams in the perpendicular direction to the insertion direction A. Then, according to the reflected wave from each part of the blood vessel T, the inner surface of the cross-section of the blood vessel T perpendicular to the insertion direction A is displayed in a two-dimensional image.
In another operation, an ultrasonic probe 201 shown in FIG. 2 has ultrasonic beams 203 rotatively scan each part of an object by mechanically rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow B a reflector 204 having a reflecting surface set at about 45 degrees to the insertion direction A while the reflector 204 reflects the ultrasonic beam 203 generated by a piezoelectric transducer 202 and emitted in the opposite direction to the insertion direction A.
In a different operation, an ultrasonic probe 301 shown in FIG. 3 has ultrasonic beams 303 rotatively and electrically scan each part of an object by sequentially driving in the direction indicated by the arrow B a plurality of piezoelectric transducer segments 302 arrayed around the circumference of the tip of the probe.
The above described ultrasonic diagnotic techniques are performed to recognize the state of an object to be diagnosed or treated or of an object medically treated with the aid of a two-dimensional image. In a medical treatment, the ultrasonic probe is pulled out of the blood vessel after the part of an object to be treated is determined. Then, a catheter for applying medicines or a catheter provided with a cutter for removing atheroma is inserted to the target part in the blood vessel.
The conventional ultrasonic probes 101, 201, and 301 shown in FIGS. 1-3 perform medical diagnoses according to the two-dimensional images of views perpendicular to the insertion direction A. Therefore, the diagnoses are limited to the inner surface of one cross-section of a blood vessel. Besides, the two-dimensional image indicates either the inner surface of a cross-section enclosing the piezoelectric transducer segments 102 and 302 (FIGS. 1 and 3), or the inner surface of a cross-section enclosing the point behind the piezoelectric transducer segment 202 (FIG. 2) in the insertion direction A. As described above, in an actual medical treatment, a treating catheter, etc. must be inserted to a target part in a blood vessel after the ultrasonic probe is pulled out of the blood vessel.
As described above, actual treatments cannot be performed while a target part of an object to be medically treated is monitored through conventional equipment.